Carlo Ancelotti's team won the World Club Challenge tournament, which also featured AC Milan and Inter.

Having played AC Milan in Baltimore less than 48 hours earlier, Ancelotti picked an entirely different team against Club America, 10 times Mexican champions, in the spectacular Cowboys Stadium.

Silver lining: Ashley Coie (left) with the World Football Challenge plate, while Deco (below right) gets his head down with Andriy Shevchenko (centre)

There were starts for youngsters Daniel Sturridge, Michael Mancienne,
Scott Sinclair and Sam Hutchinson, plus a half each for Hilario and
Ross Turnbull who are tussling to establish themselves as Petr Cech's
deputy.

Ancelotti used the game to look for 45 minutes at Michael Essien's credentials for the holding role at the base of the midfield diamond which the new Chelsea manager wants to adopt. Deco played there in the second half.

Singing the Blues: Country star Garth Brooks and wife Trisha Yearwood watch on

The teams played in front of 57,000 with the retractable roof closed
and air conditioning on to beat the stifling Texan heat, which broke
through the 100 degree barrier during the day, and the violent storm
which broke during the match.

It was only the second sporting
event held inside the stylish new stadium, opened in May, which was
estimated to have cost more than £700million to build.

Beam me up: The giant screens at the Cowboys Stadium

The stadium holds 80,000 and boasts the world's largest video screen
hanging over the centre of the pitch. It is 11,500 square feet,
contains 30 million lightbulbs and Chelsea winger Malouda claimed it
was bigger than his house.

America almost took the lead in the
23rd minute after a mix up between Mancienne and Kalou exposed
Chelsea's defence but Enrique Esqueda slid his shot wide when he should
have scored.

Kalou was then denied by an athletic save from
goalkeeper Armando Navarrete, who tipped his header onto his right-hand
post after a vicious inswinging free-kick from Malouda.

Malouda's dead-ball delivery was excellent and, moments later, he
took a corner which Ricardo Carvalho, captain for the night, headed
against the opposite upright.

America's Salvador Cabanas glanced
a header against the post after the break but Di Santo, yet to score
for Chelsea in a competitive game, finally broke the deadlock with 14
minutes left.

Party time: Chelsea's stars celebrate at the final whistle

Sub Ashley Cole darted down the left, rolled a pass inside to Malouda and Di Santo stretched to poke his low cross into the net. He raced to the touchline, where Terry was waiting to join the celebrations.

Two minutes later and the roles were reversed with Malouda tapping in Chelsea's second after good footwork in a tight space on the left by Di Santo.